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Magical Congress of the United States of America
The Magical Congress of the United States of America or MACUSA (pronounced Mah – cooz – ah) is the government of the North American magical community . It was formed in 1693 as a response to the Salem witch trials. The current President, as of 2014, is Samuel G. Quahog. Unlike its No-Maj counterpart, it is a single body government,No, it's a single body. - J.K. Rowling on Twitter, 8 August 2015 and operates totally independently of the No-Maj government.Pottermore - History of Magic in North America (Rappaport's Law) The official MACUSA emblem contains an image of a phoenix rising from the flames, combined with the American flag.Watch the 'Fantastic Beasts' trailer - Pottermore, 15 December 2015 History Formation (1693) MACUSA was created in 1693, about a century before its No-Maj counterpart, following the fallout from the Salem witch trials and the introduction of the International Statute of Secrecy. It was modelled on the Wizards' Council of Great Britain, and drew representatives from magical communities across North America to establish laws. Prior to the creation of MACUSA, the American wizarding community was scattered and had no formal government, instead falling under the control of a corrupt and dangerous group of mercenaries called Scourers. Many Scourers were immediately put on trial once MACUSA was formed, and were executed for their various crimes, which included murder, wizard-trafficking and torture. They were rounded up by the government's newly recruited Aurors, of which there were only twelve. However, despite their best efforts, some of the most infamous Scourers managed to escape this fate and disappeared into the No-Maj community, evading international warrants for their arrest. Rappaport's Law (1790) In 1790, there was a serious breach of the International Statute of Secrecy]] from within MACUSA. This incident involved a witch named Dorcus Twelvetrees, who was the daughter of Keeper of Treasure and Dragots, Aristotle Twelvetrees. She revealed the locations of both Ilvermorny and MACUSA to Bartholomew Barebone, a No-Maj of Scourer descent, endangering the lives of those who lived and worked there. He distributed leaflets containing the addresses of these places and gathered a group of friends with the aim of killing all the wizards they could find. However, they ended up shooting a group of unsuspecting No-Majs who simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, leading to Barebone's imprisonment. MACUSA were left with the unwieldy task of Obliviating everyone who had been privy to Dorcus's information, but, as President Rappaport told the International Confederation of Wizards, they could not be certain they had erased everyone's memories. The event had huge ramifications for American wizarding society, as it led to the institution of Rappaport's Law, which enforced total segregation between wizards and No-Majs. It remained in place until at least the 1920s. 19th century In 1892, MACUSA dealt with the Great Sasquatch Rebellion. Towards the end of the century, they introduced wand permits, which were intended to track magical activity. 1920s The President throughout the 1920s was Seraphina Picquery. In 1926, there was another breach of the Statute of Secrecy, as Newt Scamander arrived in New York with a case of magical creatures that escaped onto the streets. MACUSA had to deal with the fallout from this. Quidditch World Cup (2014) Following America's victory over Liechtenstein in the quarter-finals of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, Liechtenstein's mascot, Hans the Augurey, was kidnapped by some boisterous American fans.Pottermore - Daily Prophet - Late Breaking News The American government was forced to step in, leading to tense negotiations between President Quahog and Liechtenstein Minister for Magic, Otto Obermeier. Hans was returned the next day, and Quahog made the following statement: We are delighted to report that this prank has ended in a friendly and cooperative fashion and trust that Hans is none the worse for his little adventure. Headquarters The MACUSA headquarters are housed inside the Woolworth Building in New York, hidden from No-Maj sight. Wizards enter the lobby through a fast-spinning revolving door. Four golden phoenix statues surround the MACUSA entrance, paying homage to those who died during the Salem witch trials. Inside the building, there is another memorial to victims of the witch trials, which features bronze sculptures of the witches who died.Step inside MACUSA with production designer Stuart Craig - Pottermore, 26 April 2016 Headquarters moved from Washington to New York following the Great Sasquatch Rebellion of 1892, and had been relocated four times previously,Pottermore - History of Magic in North America (1920s Wizarding America) including once in 1790 after a wide-scale breach of the International Statute of Secrecy. Departments *Department of Magical Law Enforcement *Body for Protection of Magical Species (Humanoid) *No-Maj Fraternisation sub-division *Office issuing and verifying wand permits Presidents of MACUSA *Josiah Jackson, 1st President of MACUSA (1693-?) *Charity Wilkinson, 3rd President of MACUSA *Thornton Harkaway (1760) *Able Fleming (c.1775) *Elizabeth McGilliguddy (1777) *Emily Rappaport, 15th President of MACUSA (1790) *Seraphina Picquery (1920-1928) *Samuel Quahog (2014) Appearances * * References Category:First appeared on: Pottermore Category:Governments Category:MACUSA